How to Use Beer for Garden Maintenance

Beer is normally produced from barley and flavored with hops. The brewing process for this alcoholic beverage also includes fermentation. Now beer can be put to good use in garden maintenance as an alternative to harsh chemicals. So both you and your backyard can enjoy this adult beverage.

Difficulty:

Easy

Instructions

1. Feed your evergreens in early May. Mix ½ can of beer, 2 oz. fish emulsion and 2 gallons of water. Apply to each evergreen. Follow with lawn food around the base about a month later.

2. Give your tree a drink at the weepline for preventative maintenance in early June. Use 1 can of beer and 2 cups liquid soap in a 15- to 20-gallon hose sprayer. Spray the area of ground under the longest branch of your trees. Saturate this area in your garden with about 5 gallons of the mixture.

3. Place a small amount of beer in a jar and bury the neck of the jar to drown slugs. Make sure to empty and replace the liquid after a rain since it will be diluted.

4. Feed your lawn with a homemade fertilizer. Mix 1 can of beer, 1 cup of ammonia, 1 cup of liquid dish soap and 1 cup of your favorite liquid lawn fertilizer in a large bucket. Once that is combined well, stir in 1 cup of either corn syrup or molasses. Pour into a hose end sprayer. Thoroughly spray the yard, and then apply every 3 weeks during the normal growth season.

Tips & Warnings

• Use nonscented dishwashing liquid soap but not dish detergent. Try environmentally friendly soap.

• Avoid commercial products to eliminate slugs in your garden.